Our Mission

I'm Louise Fletcher. As President of Blue Sky Resumes my mission is to help people take charge of their job search, build confidence and advance their careers. I founded Career Hub to further that mission by connecting job seekers with the best minds in career counseling, resume writing, personal branding and recruiting.

I'm Chandlee Bryan. As a career coach and resume writer with experience from Manhattan to Main Street, I help job seekers connect with opportunity by sharing news, trends and best practices. I'm the Managing Editor of Career Hub and run Best Fit Forward, a boutique career management firm.

The CareerXroads Source of Hire Survey for 2012 surveyed mid- to
large-sized companies hiring for $150k-$300k jobs. 36 competitive firms
responded with 2,139 total jobs filled. The results suggest some
interesting directions for executives in job search mode to go. Here is
some of the data, followed by implications for your job search and other
job search best practices.

41% of jobs are FILLED INTERNALLY: Think hard about
internal promotion rather than leaving the company to meet your career
objectives | It's a great way to get an edge over the competition.

Referrals - 28%of ALL EXTERNAL HIRES come from referrals | This is the highest percentage out of all external sources | Referrals have always been #1, but, with significant numbers of those referrals coming from internal
employee referrals, you would do well to leverage your offline and
LinkedIn and other social media contacts to connect with employees of
your target company.

Job Boards account for 20.1% of hires| This is surprising since job boards have largely been viewed as an unfruitful source for executive job seekers |
Drill down and we find that 1/3rd to 1/2 of those surveyed say that
POSTING jobs results in hires, not searching for resumes posted on the
job board | So, DO spend a limited time each day looking through online job postings and DON'T post your resume | Best job boards by the numbers? Indeed.com, CareerBuilder.com, and Dice.com (technical job board).

Career Sites yield 9.7% of hires | So, add visits to your target companies' career pages and profiles on Facebook LinkedIn and Twitter | Don't forget to "like" your targeted company on their Facebook page (recruiters like that!).

Recruiter Initiated: 9.1% | Put time into building
relationships with a few recruiters in your space and/or function -
preferably before you need to look for a job | Consider
selecting executive retained recruitment firms that are
small-to-mid-sized where you may have a better chance of making a
personal connection | Reach out to the individual recruiters through your LinkedIn connections or your LI groups | Submit your resume to recruiters online databases, either through an email blast or one by one.

Social Media: 3.5%| Although this
number is relatively low, it doesn't reflect the INFLUENCE social media
has on the large numbers of recruiters who use social media to vet a
candidate they may indentify in other ways | > 80% of recruiters spend time on social media sites | In order of preference, they are LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest | Without fail get a great professional headshot and keyword-rich, 100% complete profile on LinkedIn | Consider making regular tweets and retweets on Twitter and building a professional profile on Facebook |
Social media is part of the hiring landscape and its influence is only
going to increase, not just in hiring but in overall personal and
professional branding.

Other external sources of hire:Colleges 6.6% (must be for <$150k jobs - brings into question whether all the
people polled restricted their answers to the $150-$300K range) | Rehires (4.3) |
While we're on the subject, though, leverage your alma mater's alumni
list and contact info, if you can get it, to network and get the word
out - preferably to people in your industry and/or function, adjacent
spaces and/or target companies | Do the same with association membership lists.

Stay tuned for the 2013 survey which we will bring you up to date on when it comes in - and good luck!

Over the week-end, I
watched Searching For Sugar Man, a
documentary about an extraordinary man named Sixto Rodriguez whose musical
genius was unfamiliar to me, until now. If you have not seen the movie
(awe-inspiring, amazing, intensely inspirational, remarkable, humbling, full of
grace), perhaps you will find some time to run, don’t walk to
do so. It will touch your heart and it will move your soul. Guaranteed. One of
the songs from his Cold Fact CD is
titled with these two simple words: “I wonder.”

And after listening to
that song multiple times, I started wondering a whole bunch of things, including…why have I not written this post before?
In my work with clients, I routinely hear a host of “I wonder” questions:

Earlier this week, my
client offered….”So, what you are saying is that I need to 'censor'
myself and
how I speak about myself.” While I hadn’t said those exact words, my client had
deduced the essence of our conversation. Here is a definition of censor when used as a verb:

Choose your words carefully when given the
chance, jobseekers; someone who has your future in their hands is listening to
you and making decisions about you – whether it is in your favor, or not. If
you tell an HR Manager or corporate recruiter that you hate your current job, that your boss is a jerk and that you despise
looking for work, consider how you are diminishing your chances of getting
hired with each additional negative word or thought expressed.

Examine your language to determine what can stay,
what needs to go and what words warrant an upgrade in your networking and
interview conversations.

Negative-sounding language will likely be used against you in a professional job interview. Once you
start skidding toward the ditch with negative language, consider how each
additional negative-sounding exchange may move you closer to the exit door.

Set yourself up to succeed when writing your résumé or sharing information about yourself and your story. Before you
write your résumé and before you go to an interview, carefully contemplate the
language you would like to convey about the wonderful product – you!

Offer words to your listening audience that engage and connect
versus disengage and disconnect. If one of your networking connections or a
hiring manager asks you “How’s it going today” and you reply…Oh you know,
SSDD (same stuff different day), consider how the conversation may not go
much further.

Realize that you are in full control of the words you select to speak
about you and your amazing, unique and distinct brand. Purposefully and
intentionally decide the words you will use to speak about yourself. Respect
and honor the numerous gifts you have been given and keep sharing the good news about your knowledge, skills,
abilities and value until someone, somewhere proclaims:

It’s that time of year when smart executives take a look at
their resumes to update. What has changed over the last year? New email
address? Changed jobs? Successfully completed new projects? Overcame
challenging business issues? Whatever the circumstances, your resume needs to
be refreshed at least once a year.

What’s one of the biggest changes a resume should display
when refreshed? New accomplishments—your success stories. Accomplishments
demonstrate your skills and strengths. It’s one thing to claim you can do
something—it’s another to prove you’ve done it.

Now the challenge is to remember these accomplishments
throughout the year to add to the resume.
If you are not convinced it is worth your time to track your
achievements, here are some other reasons:

-
For performance evaluations or an annual review

-
To set your personal and professional goals for
the next year

-
To track the progress of projects you’re working
on

-
To support your candidacy and qualifications in
a job interview

-
To make the case for a raise or promotion

-
To remind you of your achievements when you’re
having a bad day

-
To apply for recognition (awards)

Quantifying your accomplishments also helps you stand out
from others who do the work you do—whether you’re using the information for a
raise or promotion request, or when seeking a new job opportunity. But
accomplishments go beyond the basic job duties and responsibilities.

There are several ways you can collect your accomplishments:

Online. You can create a Microsoft
Word file to document your achievements. In your email program, you can
create a folder for accomplishments and send yourself emails to store in
that folder. You can also use an app like Evernote.

When
you receive a “kudos” email, forward a copy to your personal email account. To
help you organize it, tag or label it with a specific subject line (like
“Kudos”).

You
should also print out and/or take a screenshot of any LinkedIn recommendations
you have on your profile. These are an important part of your accomplishments
record as well.

Offline. Something as simple as a
file folder or notebook can be used to track your achievements.

Keep
performance reviews and highlight what could be added to the resume.

If
you receive notes of appreciation from customers, coworkers, or your company,
compile those. You can make a copy and keep it in hard copy form, or take a
screen shot and keep a digital copy.

How often should you update your accomplishments? As often as
necessary. For some, it could be frequent updates; for others, that could mean
a quarterly assessment. The most important thing is to take the time to do this
on an ongoing basis. Put an alarm or task reminder on your calendar so you
remember to set aside the time to track your accomplishments regularly.

Whether updating your resume yourself or using a
professional resume writer, if you have your accomplishments collected and
organized it will make it much easier, and should result in a job search
document that is ultimately more effective.

Something I encourage clients to consider when in job search mode
is to build a career transition team.

A what? they often ask.

A transition team – you know, a team of people who can help you
get from point A to point B so it might be easier, smoother and more efficient
for you to find that next gig.

Never heard of such a thing, I am often told.

Teamwork works. You can look for a job on
your own – the “solo”
method or you
can take the time to build a team to help you move forward with results that
may surprise you and please you.

What is a transition team, anyway?

A transition team is a group of people who you know, like and
trust to help you make your next career move.

Not just any team, but an invested team of players who want you to
“win” as much as you want to “win” a job. A team who is interested in
supporting you with ideas, strategy, motivation and a caring concern that is
deep enough to give you a swift kick in the backside if and when you need it.

Think of your favorite football, basketball or baseball team. How
many players are on the team? How many players start the game?

How many players are on your career transition team? How many
players in your line-up can you count on to serve as “starters” in your job
search game? Who on your team has a specialty or expertise that could add value
to your job hunt?

Job search is a team sport. While, for sure, you can go solo in
your quest for new employment, perhaps you might try another route – a route to
your next paycheck that may not be as lonely, difficult, challenging or
frustrating. And that alternate route is called teamwork.

A career transition team is built of multiple individual
contributors who:

you know,
like and trust enough to invite them to serve on your team

are invested
in your career success without being compensated for caring

are willing
to give a reasonable amount of time to the process

you respect
enough to listen to their advice, insights and perspectives

are not
afraid to tell you what you would rather not hear.

As your job search gets underway, ask yourself this question:

Do I choose to go solo in looking for a new job or am
I going to build a winning team?

Capturing the attention of a recruiter with your cover
letter is challenging to say the least. It is common knowledge that cover
letters need to be customized for each position. But what details do recruiters
really want to read in a cover letter? What format do they like best?

Customize

A cover letter should indicate that you are familiar with
the company, and/or job, and show how you would be a great fit. Include some
relevant industry news, or recent product launches to show that you are
interested and follow industry trends. Recruiters want to know that you are
paying attention to their needs (not yours), and that you fulfill their
criteria.

Format

Recruiters don’t want to take a lot of time to pour over lengthy
dense paragraphs to extract information. Keep paragraphs short and details
concise. Let the resume shine with more facts and save in-depth details for the
interview.

Errors

You may be in a hurry to submit your resume and cover letter
for a listed position, or just too busy to re-read your documents, but those
few extra minutes could save you from quick elimination. It is critical to
proof any written materials that you submit for a potential job. While some
think that auto-correct is a wonderful feature in a program, it can
auto-correct you right into the round file by mistaking typing errors for words
that aren’t appropriate.

Professional

Some people think that an “out-of-the-box” cover letter will
get more attention. And in a few instances that may be true—let’s say if you
are a marketing executive and want to show your creative side. Generally
though, at the executive level, recruiters want to read professionally written
cover letters. They see this as an extension of how you communicate and helps
them evaluate your potential with the hiring company.

Match experience

Recruiters play the match game. How quickly they can match
your past work experience with the qualities and requirements of their current search
assignment is key. It’s most important in the cover letter to highlight those
skills and experiences so the reader can instantly consider you as a good
match.

A cover letter should explain who you are and
why you are perfect for the job. Period. A crisp professionally written cover
letter can do that for you.

In my career management practice, I work with both employed
and unemployed individuals. One of the things we often chat about is the perspective of a decision-maker or
hiring manager versus the perspective of a job seeker.

I routinely invite job seekers to pretend for a moment that they are a Hiring Manager. And in pretending, I invite them to share some words they would
use to describe the average job
seeker of today. I am surprised,
sometimes even shocked by their harsh responses when they put on a hiring
manager’s hat instead of a job-seeker
hat. Here is the question I invite clients to consider, followed by some responses
I have been given:

As a pretend hiring manager and
decision-maker, what would be a few words you would use to describe today’s job
seeker:

Desperate

Not wanting to do all the hard work it takes

Uninformed

Out of touch with the market

Not prepared, lack of preparation

Doesn’t know about my company

Hasn’t done any research

Doesn’t take the job search seriously

Clueless

Wasting my time

Not very motivated

Unrealistic expectations

Over-priced

Not competitive

No job search savvy

Lack of focus and direction

Can’t talk about themselves with confidence

Doesn’t know their worth or value

Can’t say why they are a good fit for the job

More interested in themselves than in our business

They just don’t “get it”

As a job seeker, how would you respond to this question:
As a pretend hiring manager and decision-maker, what would be a few
words you would use to describe today’s job seeker?_______________________________________________________.

What, if anything, might you do today to make yourself a
better candidate tomorrow in the eyes of a hiring manager?

When you get that call from the recruiter or hiring manager
that they would like to set up a phone interview, pat yourself on the back. You
have made it to the first step. But, don’t think this a relaxed and laid-back
conversation. This is a very important phone call because the interviewer will
be developing a profile on you. You will be judged on your attitude,
personality, ability to communicate effectively, and how well you might fit
into the company culture. If the call is Skyped, the person may also be
evaluating your professional image and body language.

1. Emphasize your brand.

Highlight your value proposition to the interviewer,
focusing on the components of your background and experience that closely match
the job requirements. Talking points of the strong fit between your talents and
skills, and the qualifications of the position make it easy for the interviewer
to see the relevant parallels.

2. Communicate job interest.

Demonstrate to the interviewer your interest in the
particular job they are calling you about (don’t be too general), pointing to
specific job requirements that mirror your expertise and background. This might
require some research on the company and the job.

3. Clearly express why you are the best
candidate.

While the interviewer may focus on previous jobs and your
responsibilities in executive roles, take this opportunity to show how this
experience has prepared you to successfully contribute to future employers. Present
yourself as the best solution to their issues/problems, focusing on how your
background has helped you develop active listening, critical thinking, complex
problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

4. Clarify any possible negatives.

An interviewer has laser vision into any negatives that
might affect considering an executive for a position. It could be something as
simple as discussing commute time, or as difficult as explaining multiple
employment gaps. Whatever the concerns the interviewer has, give a
straightforward succinct answer. Don’t over explain any situation or it could
be perceived as “defending” or “covering up.”

The reality is that the employer is trying to
screen out candidates that don’t match their specific needs. A lot of
pre-screen interviewers use a spreadsheet with 10 or so criteria that they are
looking for, and every point in your favor is critical. If you are prepared,
practiced, polished and professional, you may make it to the next round of
interviews.

Books
can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life." ~ Helen Exley

For many years, I have
received a copy of What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical
Manual for
Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard N. Bolles as a special holiday
gift. Just yesterday, I was given the 2013 Edition. I love this book and I love
reading through it each year. As a career management professional, I routinely
recommend this book to my clients, as well as Job-Hunters Survival
Guide, also by Dick Bolles. The Parachute book has been
around since the 1970’s – yes, some 40+ years ago – and to this day, I am
always surprised when I hear a client say “Never heard of it.”

If you are a job seeker
in 2013, I encourage you to give yourself a gift (Parachute 2013) this January. It will be a very
special gift. It will be a gift that teaches you a tremendous amount of information
about careers and job search. It will open your eyes to what you do not know
about the subject of career management. It will help you reset your thinking
about the strategy you may be using to find new employment. It may even change
your life! I hope so!

The 2013 Edition of Parachute includes a brand-new
transferable skills grid and other new inventions to help you, the job-hunter.
(And yes, the book will teach you what a “transferable skill” is, just in case
you don’t know). So, hop on Amazon, board a bus, or get in your car and go get
this book – today. Without further ado. It will be the best $18.99 + tax you
can invest in your 2013 job search.

Books
are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and
wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ~ Charles W. Eliot